Of Pieces Of Life
by Rolynne
Summary: Because they were the Straw Hat Pirates, who searched for freedom and One Piece, who laughed and cheered and managed to make a man's romance out of every day.
1. Herbivores

Alright! So OPOL is taking off, and we'll start with this little piece. :D These are a series of drabbles or simply chapters I'll be writing for practice and write down some plot bunnies that keep chewing on my mind (feel free to use any ideas so as long you leave credit for the original). Not to mention try out a few writing styles 'cause I love this rambling type for some reason.

I also might take up any suggestions you post but _no romance_ because 1) It's One Piece and 2) I am _horrible_ at romance and 3) With so many shipping fics out there I don't think I need to add to it.

Takes place after CP9 Arc in case you're wondering.

**Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Oda-sensei! These are just plot bunnies that keep pestering me. :/**

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><p>Chopper was a reindeer.<p>

That fact was easy to forget, what with the Hito Hito no Mi he'd eaten. (or the whole confused-for-a-tanuki thing.)

Despite being very intelligent, he still had instincts, and liked to eat grass and hang around a big group of his friends and he _gushed_ whenever one of his Nakama sneaked him a bit of their own salad under the table.

(A fact that would have Sanji kicking their sneaky hands away and pinning them to the wall despite the fact that they didn't throw their food away, just gave Chopper a little treat, because really, the chef's cooking was _delicious._)

So when they arrived at a little seaside village, which had the most multi-colored and sweetest smelling grass Chopper had ever seen* after two weeks of following the lock post on the unpredictable oceans of Grand Line, and the villagers confirmed that it was edible even for _humans_, Chopper gave the Straw Hat Crew the biggest and most hopeful eyes he could muster.

(A feat that, even Zoro would admit, would be dangerous if Chopper managed to wield that into a weapon.)

* * *

><p>Chopper was a reindeer.<p>

That meant he was a herbivore.

It meant that occasionally, he'd submit himself to panic and _warn your herd members, run away, because fangs and claws would eat you so _run_ and hope they take someone else-_

It meant that fighting was usually not his first instinct.

So when he was in walking point, happily grazing the delicious, tall grass while keeping an eye on Sunny, and there was the slight pressure he felt that was something probably watching him, he stopped whatever he was doing and glanced around the field.

At that point Chopper felt really stupid. And nervous. (Because really, they'd asked if the grass was edible but this was _Grand Line_ and what they _really _should have asked for was were there any predators _hidden in the grass._)

Once they'd gotten into some trouble with a hyena-zoan delivery guy who'd asked him if it was troublesome, to be prey and have to fend for yourself at the bottom of the food chain. To have to resort to run away when you had no fangs or claws.

Chopper hadn't had the time to answer since Luffy had flown into him.

* * *

><p>Chopper was a reindeer.<p>

He was still small and young and almost-but-not-quite at the point where a _normal _reindeer would leave his mother and survive on his own.

So when this huge spotted _wolf _(if he hadn't been too busy panicking he would've pondered about the curious patterned coat and then shrugged it off- this was Grand Line after all and he'd seen weirder things) burst out of the thick savannah his first reaction was to shriek out his surprise and run.

(It was silly, he'd think back on that occasion, because with all his transformations he could easily beat the wolf but he'd been too busy fleeing to stop and _think._)

His anxiousness only increased when he realized wolves hunted in packs.

Later, back on the ship Usopp would ask him the same question that delivery guy man had asked him some islands back. (Though Usopp was his nakama and his question was more innocently curious and less teasingly vicious than the other one.)

"Doesn't it annoy you being a prey animal?"

So then Chopper would look back at a snoring Zoro who had the slightest quirk on his mouth due to an opportunity for more practice, a beaming Luffy who babbled about the amount of meat they'd have for supper that night and a Beli-eyed Nami who cooed about her new fur coats (he tried hard not to think too much about the last one**), and remember _run away, a glint of metal and rubber that took him out of harm's distance and he was safe, while wolves yelped in pain in the distance when red flew._

Chopper turned back to Usopp and smiled.

"No, not really. I've got something better than fangs and claws."

* * *

><p><em>"...a little seaside village, which had the most multi-colored and sweetest smelling grass Chopper had ever seen..."<em>

*I've noticed that on Grandline (and sometimes before then, even), _every single place _the Strawhats have visited are this eccentric place which authors fail to notice here on fanfiction, all things considering I've seen a lot of places where they dock on a normal island with a normal village (that's not to say that they're not good fics, tho). So I'm gonna try and make my own places as strange as possible.

_"...Nami who cooed about her new fur coats (he tried hard not to think too much about the last one)..."_

**I have nooooo idea if these sort of things bother Chopper or not, considering he's been seen eating meat and stuff in One Piece. But since he's pretty kind hearted the answer's probably yes. (Don't worry though, Nami sells the fur coats to some gullible idiot for a good amount of Beli later on :D)

* * *

><p>This is a mindless drabble really when I got to think how Chopper was a prey animal and if he fought any predator zoans they'd probably make fun of him for being a herbivore.<p>

So! Questions? Critique? D'you like it or do you think it needs improvement?

Review!  
>-Cileo<p> 


	2. Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bite

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece, nope.**

Takes place after Chopper joins.

* * *

><p>"You killed it!"<p>

Usopp turned to face Chopper, who was staring at him with wide eyes and not so much horrified as they were surprised for the mosquito he'd just squashed.

"Well yeah." The sharpshooter answered, picking himself up and dusting his slackers. "It was on my arm."

"But _why?"_

For a moment Usopp squinted at the little reindeer and pondered why exactly he was having this conversation before reminding himself that Chopper hailed from a winter island, of course there wouldn't be any insects flying around there.

(Though he wouldn't be surprised if there were, Grand Line liked to mess around with the laws of reality like that.)

"See, if I didn't kill it that thing would've bit me. " Usopp explained. "Then my arm would itch, and I could even catch this incredibly deadly disease that would leave the Great Captain Usopp bedridden and fighting off Death itself!"

Chopper's face was a gaping fish.

"But I would win of course and miraculously recover so we'd all throw a gigantic feast worthy of hungry Elbaf giants. …Didn't that Doctorine grandma teach you about bug bites?"

Chopper blinked before nodding, mumbling about how really, why did everyone call her that, Doctorine wasn't _that _old and then stared at the squished form of a mosquito.

"But still," The little doctor said and looked up at Usopp with upset eyes. "It's pretty sad."

"What is?"

"That they get killed." Chopper said, trying to poke the little figure with a hoof. "Y'know, just for being bugs."

And then a silence settled in, cold as that thought hung in the air.

The Great Captain Usopp couldn't stand for that, so he swept Chopper into the air (who shrieked in ecstatic glee) before settling down and telling him the story of a brave little caterpillar who wanted to be something _more…_

* * *

><p>Based on my own experiences, 'cause really, insects are gross but I can't help but feel sorry for them, considering you see one and your first reaction is "Ew! Disgusting! Kill it!"<p>

Review! :D

-Cileo


	3. Anatomy

Gah! I haven't updated so long! D: Sorry about that, exams just finished so I haven't had time to write anything.

Takes place after Thriller Bark.

* * *

><p>"Um… Brook?"<p>

Pausing from refining his favorite violin, said skeleton looked up to see Usopp-kun standing at the doorway, sketchpad and pencils in one hand.

"Ah, what can I do for you?" He said, smiling as best as he could while putting away his violin in her case. Usopp-kun was certainly a creative young fellow amongst the Straw Hats, but he was also one of the most easily startled (along with Chopper-san, himself and sometimes Nami-san in all her pantie-d goodness, yohoho!) . To say that he had gotten over the chills of having a skeleton as a crewmate was a bit of stretch.

(Brook wanted to say it didn't bother him, but it did. However, the fact that Usopp still tried to include him instead of running away like many others had sung brighter in his heart than the tone-dial in his head, even if he had no heart, skull-joke!)

Truth be told, Brook admired- well, not quite admired, more like highly approved of- Usopp-san, for he was not courageous like Luffy-san, or strong like Sanji-san and Zoro-san, but he _was _very brave, plunging through despite his fears and shaking knees. Brook found that a very admiral quality of the young man.

"Well, I-I wanted to ask you a favor." The sniper continued hesitantly, shifted the things resting on his hip. "If you d-don't mind, that is."

Brook nodded, listening.

"Well, you see, the other day I was trying to draw, b-but it was really hard 'cause I have a really hard time trying to draw a body- well, not a dead body, an _alive_ body, y'know, a person that breathes and stuff and- oh I-I'm sorry! You're still alive too, right? Even if I'm not sure if you can breathe or not-"

"It is alright, Usopp-san." Brook interrupted patiently. "And I do happen to breathe in case you'd like to know, even if I have no lungs, Yohoho!"

His attempts to lighten the mood worked, as Usopp smiled a little wider, and stood up straighter. "Right, A-anyway, I had an art block so I was thinking, and then I realized that "Hey! You're a skeleton!", n-not that I hadn't noticed before but I realized that maybe, y'know, I could draw you…?"

Brook didn't move for a few minutes, and Usopp was at the point of sweating out a New Blue when he finally answered.

"Ah! So you want to draw a portrait of me?"

Usopp blinked. "Uh, yeah. Well, I figured that it'd be good practice for anatomy and aside from Franky and Thousand Sunny*, I haven't drawn you yet."

"Oh?"

Usopp smiled sheepishly. "I've already drawn the rest of the Straw Hat pirates and it's become a little tradition of sorts."

"Ah! Well that settles it!" Brook stood up and Usopp found himself craning his neck to look at the older skeleton's face. "Shall we head outside for more light?"

"Y-you don't mind?"

"Of course not!" Brook chortled, almost laughing. And then he sobered. "But first, Usopp-san, I must ask you a very serious question."

Usopp paused on his way to the doorway, looking back at the most recent addition of the Straw Hat pirates.

"Shall I Take My Clothes Off**? Yohohoho!"

"Ack! Ah, no, Brook, keep them on! That's too much anatomy!"

* * *

><p><em>"...aside from Franky and Thousand Sunny, I haven't drawn you yet..."<em>

*I imagine what with all the incident of Thriller Bark, Usopp wouldn't have had time to consider drawing these two (and he'd have to wait to dock if he wanted to properly draw Thousand Sunny).

_"...Shall I take my clothes off!..."_

**I got a visual of Usopp drawing Brook, Titanic style while writing this. :D

* * *

><p>On another note, has anyone heard the song "Black Handkerchief of Happiness" that Brook sings? It's from the anime but I'm not sure if it's in the manga.<p> 


	4. Imprint

Sorry for taking so long to post! I had this idea and I had to write out the basic scenes before I could post it 'cause otherwise it didn't seem right.

* * *

><p>Faint giggling floated through the air, as a well made knot slipped loose, and idly, a small boat floated away from Fuschia Village, carried by underwater currents.<p>

"Hey!" A fisherman - the boat's owner- yelled, hands waving wildly as if the boat would suddenly repent and return. "My boat! It's drifting!"

Paying for the flowers she'd bought, Makino paused and walked over to the distressed fisherman. "Oh my. You'd been planning on going out today, hadn't you, Mello-san(1)?"

She glanced at the distressed fisherman, who had sighed and ran fingers through his balding head. "Perhaps you could get another boat and go after it?"

"No, Makino-chan." The fisherman, Mello-san simply said. "The current got a hold of it and by the time I get someone to take me on their boat it'll be too late. And I'd been hoping to get a stock of fresh fish too. Ah well, at least nothing of value's on it. Besides my lunch…"

He glanced at Makino and the bouquet of flowers in her hand. "Where are you heading, Makino-chan?"

She smiled sweetly, whether at the flowers or himself, Mello-san wasn't sure. But there was a taste of something bittersweet in her expression and for a moment he thought she wouldn't answer. "Today's the tenth anniversary…"

Ah. That was it.

"I see. Of that, right?" He sighed and stared into fluffy white clouds. They shared a moment of silence, and he broke it before she left. "Perhaps it's a sign, that my boat left on a memorable day such as this."

"Perhaps." Makino said, smile much more real now. She bowed politely. "Excuse me."

And then she left.

Far away, just a speck on the horizon, the little boat rocked gently as giggles came from inside it, hidden from sight.

* * *

><p>Coby sighed and stared into open seas and blue skies, as if he couldn't quite make out what was happening. His prayers had been answered, he'd escaped from Alvida's clutches and was currently sailing to a Marine base and fulfilling his dreams…<p>

But the way it had happened hadn't been the way he'd expected.

Turning onto his back, he quickly peeked at the compass before staring at the other end of his boat.

"Where are we going?"

Dark, curious eyes stared back at him, belonging to a face full of baby fat. Coby felt a cold sweat run down his back, but he swallowed his stutter and answered clearly.

"I'm heading to a Marine base, Luffy… er , san." He decided, unused to having to call a eight year old that.

"Why?"

"B-because I want to become a Marine." He stumbled slighty.

Luffy-san grinned. "Is that your dream?"

"Yes." He smiled. "Ever since I was small. It's the only thing I could think of on Alvida's ship." It was the only thing that kept him going, at times.

He blinked at the suddenly serious face of the eight year old. "What's wrong?"

"Are you serious about becoming a Marine?"

_What's he talking about? _Coby wondered. "Of course! I've studied hard for it!"

"Even though you worked for a pirate?"

Coby froze, unsure if the question was as harmful as it sounded.

"Would you be willing to die for your dream?" Luffy-san continued, eyes , well- not narrowing, but a little too cold for a child of his age. "Or are you going to keep being a coward?"

"I… i-it's, what do you mean?" Coby stuttered, licking his lips.

"You left because I was there, Coby." Luffy-san idly picked a booger out of his nose and flicked it away. "What would you have done if I wasn't?"

And didn't that set his brain spinning. "I-it's, I would have, I would have… "

"Tell me!" Luffy barked.

"I don't know!" Coby yelped, hands flung up to clutch his head. "I don't know! You saw Alvida! How could a weak guy like me defeat her?"

"By growing stronger!" Luffy huffed, jumping to his feet and crossing his arms. In any other child, it would have looked ridiculous considering his size, but Coby could only stare, awestricken. "Why do you want to be a Marine, Coby!"

"To protect people!" He yelled without hesitation. "To make sure no one goes through what I had to go through!"

"Are you willing to work hard for this dream, Coby!"

"I am!"

"Are you going to fight pirates like Alvida!"

"Of course!"

"Are you ready to fight for your dream!"

"Yes!"

"_Are you willing to die for your dream, Coby!"_

"_Yes!_" Almost immediately, he clapped his hands over his mouth, embarrassed. To think that he could blurt out such a thing with so much confidence and not one thought about it…

But apparently it was the right answer, since laughter rang through the open seas. Coby stood up and looked around, wildly searching for Luffy-san.

Running a hand through his pink hair, Coby sighed and muttered one of the many questions that had been on his mind since that morning. "Why are you following me?"

"_Because you're interesting." _Luffy-san's voice answered, echoing but amused, following a burst of wind that suddenly changed direction and made the waves under his boat lurch a little higher. "_And I decided I don't hate you after all."_

Luffy-san didn't appear again until they'd reach the Marine base.

* * *

><p>Zoro had been tied to that post for six days, which weren't as hard and arduous as one would be made to think, had their minds had something else to think about. But he was tied to a post in the middle of the patio of a marine base, with only walls to stare at and a taunting brat that came on a daily basis for entertainment.<p>

He felt lucky, in some ways, that he'd been able to haggle some water out of his deal(2). The town looked to be on some sort of heat wave, and he was sure he'd died of dehydration a long time ago.

It was then that the kid appeared.

It didn't look like much of a problem. At first, the tuff of black hair had peeked over so suddenly, he'd thought his mind was playing tricks on him. But then, something strange happened.

"Those ropes look pretty easy to break out of, y'know. Are you strong at all?"

The closeness of the voice made him yelp and jump, causing the ropes to pinch his skin. Gaining his footing before he could fall(3), he searched around for the owner of the voice…

…and finally looked up.

There was a kid, amused grin stretched across his face as he rested his face on his palm and sat on the top of the beam he was tied to.

"Hi." The kid laughed, guffawing happily as he gaped.

"How'd you get there?" Zoro asked, staring a little longer before lowering his vision to blink. The angle he'd been looking up at had gotten the sun in his eyes.

"Why should I tell you?" Yelping for the second time in a minute, Zoro stared at the grinning kid, who was now in front of him and sizing him up.

The pint-squeak looked young, about nine years or so, with the tussled black hair he'd seen on the wall some minutes ago, and big black eyes staring back at him. His skin was tan, dressed in some shorts, sandals and a t-shirt which had faded letters printed on it. He had two scars, one of them curved under his eye. It didn't look too old, but the pink area was faded. He'd probably had it for a year or so.

The other one however, circled beneath his elbow, an angry red as if it'd happened yesterday. Zoro had seen (and experienced) enough wounds to know that it looked like a bite mark, and that the kid was lucky he still had his hand.

"You're a strange guy!" The kid laughed, bringing him out of his thoughts and for a moment, Zoro wondered if he was hallucinating.

* * *

><p>Buggy the Pirate snarled as the new girl, Nami she was called, turned on his men.<p>

Damn little witch, apparently she'd still been loyal to Roronoa after all. Ah well, no matter. Only a few more seconds of entertaining her and the Buggy Special Cannon Ball would go off, and he'd finally get rid of her boss, and hopefully raise his own bounty for it.

The cannon fuse snuffed out.

Everyone froze, staring at the cannon with wide struck eyes. No one had been close enough to do that. And then Roronoa's ropes loosened, effectively freeing his hands and legs. Slowly but surely, a knowing smirk grew on the swordsman as the cage swung open as well.

Buggy snarled. _A devil fruit?_ "You did something, didn't you, Roronoa(4)!"

Gleeful laughter was his only answer, but it had no owner.

* * *

><p>Usopp stared at the kid who'd popped out of nowhere, unsure of what to make of him. He looked young, about eleven years old, all grinning smiles and twinkling dark eyes, staring at him from the tree he'd been hanging.<p>

"Who are you!" The liar yelped, from his place on the ground.

The boy laughed, releasing his feet from the tree and falling to the ground on his hands, in an impressive display of acrobatics before falling onto his back, too. "I'm Luffy. A friend of Zoro and Nami."

"A friend?" Usopp said warily. "I didn't see you on the boat."

"No." Dark eyes were smiling knowingly. "You wouldn't have."

He didn't explain any further. And that led to Usopp to wondering if maybe, one of those boats was bigger than it actually seemed, with a secret room where Luffy had been guarding something, like an infinite amount of treasure that had a-

"He was wrong you know."

That startled Usopp out of his thoughts. "Who?"

"That servant guy." Luffy explained, and then scowled. "Yasopp's a great guy."

Yasopp? "You met my dad?"

"Yep." Luffy said. "He was on Shank's crew, and they arrived at my village. He was one of my favorite crewmates. I miss them."

"They're all okay?" Usopp asked. "What was he like?"

The eleven year old sat up, face grinning. "He was awesome! The best sharp shooter ever!" Luffy explained, waving his hands wide around. Usopp couldn't help but notice a red ring under his right elbow. "I've never seen him miss his target! And he told me about you too."

"He did?" Usopp asked, heart wrenching as he wanted to know _more(_5). "What did he say?"

Luffy's smile widened.

* * *

><p>Kaya silently watched as her saviors admired the boat. She was certainly grateful, considering they'd gone out of their way just to help her and Usopp-san.<p>

"…With a rudder. It's name is 'Going Merry'." Merry-san blinked. "Are you the ones who defeated the Kuroneko Pirates? Huh, I thought you'd have more people than this."

"It's an amazing boat." Nami-san breathed. And then frowned, turning to her. "Why are you showing this to us?"

"Because I can't think of any other way to thank you." Kaya smiled softly.

"You're giving us this ship?" Nami-san yelped. "Kaya, that's too-"

"No, no. It's not a problem, please take it." She insisted. "You told me you came to Syrup Village on two little boats, didn't you? It must be cramped in there and you're bound to recruit more members for your pirate crew."

Zoro-san 'hmm'ed in contemplation. "We're not pirates(6)."

"You're not?" Merry-san wondered, and Kaya herself blinked. She was pretty sure someone had been drilling Kuro about what a proper pirate was. Huh, maybe she had imagined it in her fever.

"Well, take the ship at any case." She continued. "It's the least I could do. Thank you."

"Well… I suppose it's not a problem." Nami-san finally relented, but then cast one look at the ship and she brightened, turning to Merry-san. "How do you steer it?"

As the pair started to discuss in terms outside of her knowledge, Kaya heard a noise. Whipping her head to Going Merry, she stilled and listened for a clue as to what it was.

"Something wrong, Kaya?" Zoro yawned.

"Ah, um… no, nothing."

_Odd though. _Kaya thought. _I could've sworn I heard footsteps and laughter above the ship..._

And then Usopp-san came rolling down the hill, and her mind cut off those thoughts completely.

* * *

><p>Head still smarting from Patty's punch, Sanji stared at Don Creek, silently listening as the Baratie chefs protected their home.<p>

"Quiet!" Don Creek snapped. "Haven't you realized the differences between your and my strength? After I get that journal I'll gather even _more _men and then head back to Grand Line," Here he sneered. "To acquire One Piece and become the greatest pirate of them all."

That was when it happened.

_"Oi!"_

All at once, dishes and glass burst, as if exploding. Tables flipped over, and chairs flew across the room, causing many to scream in surprise. Don Creek had no time to gape in shock, for his own armor ruptured, tearing out strangely, like the damage had been dealt from the inside. And then he jerked backwards, cheek turned inwards, as if having been dealt a nasty sucker punch.

Amidst the chaos Sanji wildly looked around, searching for the culprit. Almost immediately, his eyes landed on the only people not panicking, some of the people from that little group that had been staying around longer than necessary. Though the long-nosed kid was a little nervous and fidgeting, the marimo watched completely relaxed, wicked grin on his face hinting that he wanted to burst out laughing.

Their eyes crossed and Sanji was about to demand what they'd done to _Baratie _when-

_"You're not deserving of the title of Pirate King!"_

They hadn't moved a muscle.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing here?"<p>

Three pairs of hostile eyes and one curious turned to her, making Nami more nervous than she probably appeared. What were they _thinking_? They shouldn't have followed her, now Arlong wouldn't let them leave safely… Calm, she had to remain calm.

"We're here to take the ship." Zoro answered, gruff as always. However, he was looking away, refusing to meet her at the eye.

"And bring your lovely self with us, Nami-san!" That blonde chef was smiling, waving enthusiastically at her. "Remember me?"

Internally panicking, Nami's eyes narrowed. "Go. Away. Don't you understand? I am _not _your friend."

Crossing her arms, she sneered disdainfully. "Besides, all you want is someone who can give you a hand, don't you?"

"See?" Johnny was exclaiming. "I told you she was an evil, cold-hearted woman! She just wants all the treasure underneath her hometown! She joined Arlong, of all people! Arlong! She even killed Usopp!"

"No she didn't."

Nami stilled. "Luffy…"

There he was, standing besides Zoro and staring at her, face such a blank slate that she couldn't tell what he was thinking, whereas normally he wore his emotions on his figurative sleeves.

He looked older, around the adolescent age of thirteen, but he was clearly exerting himself to appear, transparent and flickering and a bead of sweat rolling down his temple, not to mention bleeding from his wounds.

_He's exhausted._

"Nami's a friend." The boy continued. "She didn't kill Usopp. And she's not an evil witch."

Nami licked her lips, hesitating. "…Why are you here, Luffy?"

"You're my friend too." Luffy smiled boyishly. "I came to take you with us." Then he sobered. "Bell-mère's sad that you have to go through all of this alone."

There was a pause, and Nami could feel the color draining from her face. "W-what am I supposed to _do, _Luffy." She whispered brokenly.

_I am not going to cry. I am _not _going to cry._

"Nothing."

She looked up at the boy through glassy eyes.

"We are your nakama now." Luffy explained with a grin. "Let us fight for you!"

* * *

><p>"Woooooaaaaaaaah…."<p>

Unable to smoke because of the storm, Roronoa and his buddies getting away, his subordinate running through Oda knows where trying to catch them and who-knows-what-else going on at that moment, Smoker huffed, turning to the owner of the voice.

"Where'd you get that bike?"

A lanky teen, around fourteen maybe, inspected his Biroa Bike through dark eyes. Despite being drenched to the bone in simple beachwear, he was grinning, little scar near his left eye curving slightly. He had another scar around his torso that looked more recent, a little too recent for comfort, angry red punctures that curved like a crescent on his abdomen and under his right elbow.

But the most important part, was that he was standing _in front of the bike._

"Move aside." Smoker grunted.

"Can I ride it?" He looked up to meet Smoker at the eyes, unfazed by his glare.

"Go away, punk. I've got other things to do right now." Time was slipping…

"Mmm, no thanks."

_Excuse me?_

"That wasn't a question." He growled, biting down on his cigar. "Step away from the bike unless you want to be charged with obstruction of justice."

"Nah, I don't feel like it." The teen said, deliberately leaning forward, damn grin still plasted on his face.

There was a pause as both of them stared each other down, the only sound being the downpour around them.

_I warned you, punk._

"White out!" Suddenly, Smoker lunged, turning into his namesake and expertly attacking like he'd done so many times to other pirates.

"You missed!"

Wild laughter behind him, Smoker's eyes widened and he turned around to see his bike starting with a roar and then screeching past him.

_How did he-?_

"Bye Smokey(7)!" The kid yelled gleefully over his shoulder. "Better luck next time!"

Smoker gaped for a few seconds before realizing that the kid was leaving with hisbike and _Roronoa was still on the loose._

_Dammit!_

* * *

><p>Hands clasped over her mouth in horror, Vivi couldn't help but utter some of the more vulgar words she had heard during her time as a Number Agent of Baroque's Work.<p>

"Did you just tell us…?"

This was bad. This was very bad. Now her saviors knew about Sir Crocodile as well, and they would be persecuted too. She'd put them all in danger-

Her eyes caught sight of an otter and vulture out of the corner of her vision.

With sunglasses.

Nodding to each other.

_Shit._

"No!" She shouted, lunging for them both, but it was too late. The otter climbed onto the vulture and they flew away before she could grab either of them. Stumbling, Vivi looked up and watched helplessly as they gained height-

A table flew into them and knocked them both into the ground.

"Huh?"

Turning back to Zoro and Nami, she saw that both of them were grinning madly, staring at something behind her.

"About time you showed up, Luffy." Zoro spoke up.

"Shishishi, sorry. I was looking for something big enough to throw at them."

Turning around, she saw a teen, around fourteen maybe, sitting on a pile of boxes with his legs crossed and one hand on his cheek. He had tussled black hair, wide eyes of the same color and was smiling as well.

_Luffy? _She wondered, staring at the boy, eyes stopping at the fresh scar across his torso. _I didn't see him back at the lighthouse… _

"So, we're gonna help Vivi right?"

* * *

><p>"Oooooooooooooooooooiiiii!"<p>

Pausing as he walked through the halls of the castle, Chopper stilled and his ears perked, trying to pinpoint the location of the sound.

"Dooooctoooor! Hellooooooooooo?"

Darting into a hallway, Chopper followed the shout until he saw him. Stifling a cry of surprise, he jumped back and hid behind the corner.

A strange, scentless teen was walking around, face pulled down into a frown and a bead of sweat rolling down his temple(8). Chopper wondered if the fifteen-year-old was cold at all, considering he was wearing nothing but beach slacks.

"Oooooooooooooiiiiiii! Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaase, I need help!"

Chopper winced, clutching at his ears in an attempt at blocking out the sound. That kid sure was loud…

Briefly he wondered what to do now. How had the teen gotten up to the castle? He hadn't heard the shaft moving. And what with the current snowstorm going on around the mountain it was a wonder he hadn't gotten stuck.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyy!"

He was _loud_. Surely Doctorine must've heard him by now, with the way his voice carried through the hallways. Chopper hoped she came soon, he didn't want to have to deal with a panicking teen.

He wondered what he was here for. Chopper hadn't spotted him in all his visits to the different villages of Drum. Maybe he was one of those teens who'd been dared to go to the castle and catch a glimpse of the _monster_…

"Hey!" Startled, Chopper spun around and met the face up close of the teen that he'd been spying on.

Briefly, he wondered how he'd gotten behind the little doctor amongst the thoughts of _He saw me, he _saw _me _and_ he's going to panic and scream _and_ no, not this again…_

"You can see me?"

_What does he mean by that?_ Chopper wondered, while outwardly he bristled, trying to get as far away as possible from the teen. Something about him set off all of the alarms that had so far kept Chopper alive. "S-stay away!"

It was then that Chopper saw the scars.

They were all a harsh, angry red, meaning that they could've been days old yet the man was wearing no bandages. Chopper practically expected them to open up at any minute. He could see by the way they darkened in aligned circles that they were puncture wounds, and that they were too clean to have been done one by one. They were bite marks.

Or rather, just one mark, since it curved upward at his torso and ended under his right elbow.

"What happened to you!" Chopper yelped. "Why aren't you wearing bandages? Or bleeding for that matter? Was it the mountain rabbits? No, this bite is too big for something like that…. Aaah! You need treatment! Doctor, where's a doctor!"

"Ooi! Oii!" Doctorine's voice drifted down the hall. "What's all that racket, Chopper?"

"Doctorine!" Chopper answered, still panicking with his arms flailing around. "There's a man over here! He's hurt! He's injured! We have to treat him now or else he's gonna die! He's-"

The hallway was empty.

"…Gone."

* * *

><p>There was quiet as Portgas D. Ace grinned and Smoker glared.<p>

The tension in the air rose steadily, and both pirate and marine waited for the civilians to evacuate out of the restaurant. Ace saw no reason to get them involved really, he was sure he could take on Smoker without any hostages. Unlike those other cold blooded pirates.

"Hmm… what's around here?"

The stare-off was broken by a pair of skinny legs sticking out of the counter, the other end disappearing on the other side. Soon enough, the owner heaved himself up, revealing black hair covered by a straw hat that was falling off the head, and grin that was carefree yet wild, the type Ace had seen that belonged to some of the better (and crazier) pirates in the Grand Line. It even reminded him of Sabo's smile, a little.

"YOU!" Smoker snarled with such rage that Ace immediately decided he liked the teen already. "You're the kid that stole my Biroa Bike!"

The freckled pirate burst out laughing. "You stole a marine's bike?"

The sixteen-year old grinned, hands flying up behind his head. "Yep."

Ace howled with laughter, liking Straw-hat Kid even more by the second. Biting down so hard on his cigar that he promptly went through it, Smoker literally smoldered (huh, so he was a DF user as well) and lunged for the teen. "Give me back my bike, punk!"

_Oh no you don't! _Adopting his own grin as well, Ace jumped to intercept, using Kagerou to block. Careful not to let anything catch fire (Burn down a restaurant? _Sacrilege!_), Ace quickly jumped over the marine and sprinted out the doorway, hand holding onto his hat.

"Come on!" He threw over his shoulder at the strange teen, who wasted no time in following after him, Smoker hot on their tails.

_Sabo's gonna get mad at me later for causing trouble again._

It was totally worth it.

* * *

><p>This little idea came to me when I was re-reading the first chapter of One Piece and then I wondered, what if Shanks had been too late?<p>

The first thing that popped into my mind was Ghost!Luffy haunting everyone.

But that seemed a little anti-climatic to me and totally defeated the purpose of him dying until I realized, that would _so_ be like Luffy. He hasn't accomplished his goal in life and there's no way he'd let death stop him. After that my plot bunnies started brainstorming.

(I imagine the reason Luffy's a ghost is because he didn't smile/grin/laugh before dying, even if he isn't aware of the reason himself)

That said there would be a lot of things that would change. He wouldn't have met Ace and Sabo (until later), which means Porschemy wouldn't have found them, which means the Blue Jam Pirates would have gone on their merry way (though maybe killing off Porschemy still) and Sabo's dad wouldn't have paid them to kidnap Sabo and Sabo wouldn't have run away and gotten himself killed off by Tenryuubitos (if he really is dead, that is) and both him and Ace would become pirates together with the money they collected. And Ace wouldn't have met Shanks which means Shanks probably might not have warned Whitebeard about Blackbeard.

Or, Buggy and Alvida would have parted on good terms seeing as how they hadn't had Luffy as an incentive to work together. Or who knows, might not have met at all.

As for why Luffy seems to age, it's because he's growing stronger (especially when something important happens with his nakama) and therefore he's going to keep aging until he reaches the age he's supposed to be were he alive. When he's low on power he'll still appear as an injured seven year old or doesn't appear at all, depending on how low. Not everyone can see or hear Ghost!Luffy.

Ghost!Luffy can't touch living things unless he hits them with an object, at least until Haki comes into the picture... (though that makes Haki-users able to hit him as well). He can possess people, though prefers not to do it.

I'll post more drabbles of these sometime, when I can think how to include the rest of the Strawhats.

* * *

><p><em>"...hadn't you, Mello-san?..."<em>

1. I had no idea what to call the fisherman, but then Mello-san popped into my head and I thought it sounded One Piece-y enough so I thought, "why not?".

_"...He felt lucky, in some ways, that he'd been able to haggle some water out of his deal..."_

2. Dehydration is Serious Business. I remember reading somewhere that you could only last three days without water. Zoro's strong so he might last five days or a week maximum, but that still doesn't exclude him from that or other dangers like heat stroke or worse... mosquitoes. D:

_"...causing the ropes to pinch his skin. Gaining his footing before he could fall..."_

3. In a way, Zoro's lucky that Luffy came along and he didn't last the whole month. Besides hunger issues, surely having those ropes tied to his arms would be bad for blood circulation, and I imagine weak arms would spell failure for swordsmen. Also, in the manga it's shown that he appears to be hanging from his arms when he's tied up (not sure about the anime since I don't follow it), and not only must that hurt his arms, it'd probably make it harder to breath.

_"...You did something, didn't you, Roronoa!"_

4. This is something Ghost!Luffy finds hilarious. Since unexplained things happen around Zoro and the others, people think he has some sort of devil fruit. Later on, Ghost!Luffy gets a bounty as well (I haven't decided if it's hand drawn since I can't decice whether Ghost!Luffy appears in mirrors, videos and photos(Oh Luffy, getting a bounty even when you're a ghost)) and then _he's _suspected of the DF.

_"...Usopp asked, heart wrenching as he wanted to know _more_..."_

_5. _I often wonder about this. Does Usopp remember much of his dad? He looked pretty young when his mom died. Besides, if I met a kid who knew about my Disappeared Dad, I'd want to know _everything._

_"...We're not pirates..."_

6. Not yet anyway. Remember in the Davy Back Arc, how Zoro said that without Luffy he'd have no reason to be a pirate? Yeah. Zoro's got a bounty (50 million Beli as his first since the government already has an idea about his strength whereas Luffy was an unknown rookie) and he recognizes that he's a criminal now but not all criminals are pirates or revolutionaries. Ghost!Luffy finds it very amusing when he realizes that he's probably now the captain of a crew. (I was considering making it Usopp since he was always going on about being the captain but he's not strong enough and I kinda like the whole 'most normal member of the crew' thing he's got going on)

_"...Bye Smokey!..."_

7. Ghost!Luffy doesn't actually know his name. He just calls him that because of his DF powers (Imagine his surprise/amusement when he discovers his real name).

_"…A strange, scentless teen was walking around, face pulled down into a frown and a bead of sweat rolling down his temple…"_

8. In the Drum arc, since Luffy can't carry Nami around someone else goes with Sanji –hasn't decided who yet- and so after the avalanche, Luffy has no choice but to float to Drum Castle and get help.

* * *

><p>So yeah, now I'll stop bothering you with my random little facts. (; Did I make it surreal enough?<p>

On an unrelated note, Black Handkerchief of Happiness does appear in the manga. It's during Brook's flashback when he's playing the piano; he uses it to wake up his original crew.

Review!

-Cileo


	5. Tunnel Vision

Short drabble is short.

* * *

><p>Standing on top of leafy green, Usopp got a better view over the gigantesque clover field, facing the enemy from his own little hill.<p>

He was nervous. He was incredibly nervous, and for all his chatterbox tendencies in situations like these, he didn't think he could _whimper_. It felt like Crocodile had dried his throat. Suddenly it was like the beginning of his journey, where he was just a cowardly kid trying to find his father.

_But this is for Luffy. _And didn't that simple thought help him, filling with bravery of the likes he could never accomplish on his own. All of this was his doing, his alone, for _his captain, _and not even brave, noble Sogeking was around to help him this time.

Swallowing, he took a breath before speaking up in a loud, clear voice that rang through the windy fields.

"Stand back and surrender now!"

A pause.

Many of the men on the other side burst into laughter, sneering at his lone figure. Usopp didn't let himself be deterred by this, he _refused _to let it get to him.

"Surrender now!" Usopp repeated, finding that all of a sudden, his fear had disappeared and left only a wildly beating heart. "You can't pass this point!"

"Why don't you come and make us, kid?" One pirate cackled, tongue stretching in a way that was eerily reminiscent of Caribou.

Gritting his teeth, Usopp fired a warning shot which had some of the pirates yelping and jumping out of range. Like a chain reaction, all the men became more agitated. They rounded the Pop Green and started to head towards him.

_Steady…. Not yet. Not yet._

His heart pounded faster.

"All who favor their lives, listen to me now!" He yelled, letting the wind carry his voice. "I am the brave warrior of the sea, Usopp, member of the Straw Hat Pirates! "

_So close…. Steady…._

"It's best if you dare not to attack us, because me and eighty thousand men _will not forgive you!_"

For a minute, everything drowned out of his mind. His eyes blocked out the bright green of the clover field, the wind disappeared from his ears and skin, the mounting anticipation that built with every second _vanished..._

He could only feel the rush of his rapidly beating heart, pumping blood into every fiber of his being.

_Now!_

Lifting Kabuto into the air, everything came back at once, and his ears caught the roar of Gin's crew, of Skypieans and the Amazons, the Rolling Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates and both Alabasta and Water 7 fighters and everone else they'd met during their travels, rising at his war cry.

Usopp led them into battle.

* * *

><p>Admit it, you totally want to see this happen.<p>

As for the backstory behind this drabble... I'll let you do the thinking. (;


End file.
